Improved railway-signal



AKLEY & COGGESHALL.

' Railway Signal.

Patented Feb. 9, 1869.

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JAMES D. AK L EY, OF MIFFLIN, AND FREABORN COGGESHALL, OF PATTERSON, PENNSYLVANIA.

Letters Patent No. 86,624,. eluted February 9, 1869.

IMPROVED RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern- Be it known that we, J AME-S l). Annnv, of Mifilin, in the county of Juniata, and State of Pennsylvania, and FREABORN P. GOGGESHALL, of Patterson, in the county of J uuiata, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Signals; and we do hereby declare the following tube a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to an arrangement for exhibiting a light, or other signal, at a curve or crossing, by means of the approaching train, for the purpose of notifying the engineer of a train coming from the opposite direction, or others, of the approach oi'said train, and thus avoiding the collisions and other'accidents now so common in said places.

Our improvements consist, first, in a novel and superior construction of the trigger, or treadle, through which the devices are operated, said treadlebeing preferably mounted on*one of the rails of the track, and

. adapted to be operated by the tread oi the wheels passing over it, and of such length as to adapt it to be continually engaged by one or more of said wheels, and thus hold the signal in its exposed position the entire time the train is passing.

Our. improvements further consist in a novel and simple arrangement of bell-cranksand wires, for connecting the trig er, or treadle, to the signal to be 0perated.

- I11 the drawings-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a section of track, having our invention applied.

Figiu'e 2 is an enlarged side elevation, illustrating more clearly the construction of the trigger, or treadle, and the preferred mode of attaching it to the rail.

Figure 3 is a transverse section, on the same scale as fig. 2

Figure 4 is a diagram, illustratingthe manner in which the trigger, or treadle, is operated.

A may represent the cross-ties of the track, and

B, the rails.

O O (J are posts, or poles, erected at suitable points, for the application of our invention, and which may also, when preferred, constitute the telegraph-poles.

I) re presents a trigger, or treadle, of novel form, attached preferably to the outside of the rail, so as to be operated on by the tread of the wheels of the cars, and employed to connuunicatc the desired intelligence to the point where the signal is located, by uncovering, or otherwise operating said signal, as hcreinaiter more fully described.

E E are plates or bars of metal, which maybe of the form employed in making the ordinary tie-joint of railroad-rails, and which may be also thus employed when, desired.

. pass over it.

Secured to E, and passing through the rail and E,

or passing through all in the form of bolts, are studs, h F, which occupy vertically-elongated slots, d d, in

the treadlc D, the ones, F, being provided on their outer end with a washer, e, and pin, 0, or a similar provision, to hold the treadle in position, while the one,

.13, is extended, to form a pivot for a lever, G, one end of which is attached to the treadle, as at g, and the other provided with a' link, g, or equivalent device,

treadle, to hold it in an elevated position, suitable-recesses, d being provided in the treadle for the. reception of said springs, necessary.

The treadle D may be of any desired height and thickness, being so adjusted as to be capable of being 7 depressed even with the surface of the rail, and to receive sufiicient movement by said depression, and the consequent elevation, to move the signal the requisite extent.

Its ends are preferably bevelled or curved, as at 4 to adapt the wheels to more readily engage-with and The length of said treadle is so adjusted as to be greater than the greatest distance between two wheels in the train, so as to cause it to be constantly engaged by at least one of the wheels, and thus continued in its depressed position during the passage of the entire train over it, as illustrated in fig. 4.

I, fig. 3, is a metallic plate, mounted on the crossties, between which the lever- G is located, and under the rail, being held by the customary spikes, or other suitable appliance.

A pair of lugs, 1', is provided on the under side of said plate I, for the reception of a bell-crank, J, whose respective arms are connected by the link g to the loose end of the lever G, and by a wire, K, to a bellcrank, L, pivoted similarly to J, or to the cross-tie, as shown, at the opposite side of the track. 1

' M is a bell-crank, pivoted at a suitable height on the post, or pole, O, which is located in a line, or nearly so, with the beibre-desciibed devices, as represented in fig. 1.

It is connected to the bell-crank L by a wire, N, and by the wire 0, through, if necessary, intermediate bellcranks, to a bell-crank, P, on the signal-post 0 Q Q are swinging hangers, provided at a suitable height, on each of the intermediate posts, orpoles, O, ,of which there is any requisite number, and employed to support the wire or wires connecting the bell-cranks S is a signal, located at a suitable height on the post 0 and consisting of a red light, 8, for night, and a red spot, 8', for day.

They are both covered by a pivoted cover, S, which is connected, by means of a link, T, to the bell-crank P, through which, by the depression of the treadle D, it is partially rotated, as represented in red outline in fig. 1, and continued in that position, with the signals exposed, during the passage of the train over said treadle, as before descgibed.

It is obvious that many other forms of signals, than that shown and described, may he used in connection With-our operating-devices, and that the arrangement of connections may be varied to suit said different forms, or for other reasons.

We also propose using, when preferred, a difierent form of treadle with our improved arrangement of connections; for instance, a short treadle, adapted to be operated separately by-each wheel passing over it, which would be preferable, were a lantern or bell used as the signal.

Chains, rods, or other suitable connecting-media maybe substituted wholly or in part for the wires, if preferred.

7 Having thus described our invention, the following is what we claim as new therein and desire to se- W cure byLtters Patent: v

1. In combination with a signalling devioe, S S, constructed and adapted to operate substantially as herein described, we claim the elongated trigger or treadle D, adapted to maintain said signal in the position indicating danger, during the passage of the entire train over said treadle, as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combined arrangement of the treadle D, bellcranks J L M-P, connections y. K N O T, and hang- ?rs Q, substantially as described for the purpose set orth.

. JAMES D. AKLEY.

FREABORN P. GOGGESHALL. Witnesses:

'lnos. J. 'lnow, RICHARD H. MoGILL. 

